A Series of Holiday Specials
by Emerald Puppy
Summary: KBOW. Follow this amazing couple's journey throughout a year of eventful holidays. Valentine's Day: everyone always makes a huge fuss about what to give his/her partner on this day. But what happens when Oliver forgets altogether...? Please R&R! EP
1. The Start of a New Year

_A/N: I was originally going to post this on New Year's Eve or New Years, but I kinda stayed up late and got home later than expected. Sorry, but enjoy!_

New Year's Resolution

It's January the first…in other words the start of a new year. Okay so just like almost every other person in this world I always make a new year's resolution. Unfortunately in all of the twenty-one years of my existence I have never been able to stick to any of my resolutions. And just like every year I promise that this year will be the year that I stick to whatever I declared at the beginning. Of course I have my doubts, but it's sort of become a tradition now. So here it goes…

This year my new year's resolution is that I will only have a single cup of coffee per day. Insane, right? Well it wasn't my idea, it was Wood's. Of course he wanted me to quit cold turkey, but we bargained. You see, for the past few years that I've been Oliver's flat mate we've always picked each other's resolutions. Let's just say that what we pick isn't always reasonable, which is exactly why I've never succeeded in achieving my goal.

So while I have to live on a single dose of caffeine daily, Oliver is only allowed to discuss Quidditch tactics during practice, or while I'm drinking my cup of coffee, which might I add I very reluctantly agreed to.

Now what's the big deal about a silly new year's resolution you might ask. Well we always make a bet or deal of some sort on New Year's Eve. So besides having to deal with the bitter taste of defeat and failure, this year whoever succumbs to the other first, must do one thing that the winner demands. And this, my pretties, scares the living daylights out of me. I can just picture it now; waking up at three in the morning and having a twenty-four hour practice, one-on-one with Oliver. I shudder at the very thought of it.

Right, so like I said, it's the official start of our stupid bet, and here I am already finished my one cup when it's only seven in the morning. It's not my fault that I need like one cup to open my eyes, and then a second one right after that to get the gears in my brain to start turning. I guess that just means I'll be brain-dead for a while.

Grumbling, I regretfully lapped up the last remaining drop and set the empty mug down.

"Morning," Oliver said. He patted my mess of hair then rested his chin so easily atop my head.

"Do you mind getting me a cup of that blessed stuff?" he asked with a huge grin plastered on his face.

I glared at him with as much evil and intensity as I could muster at such an ungodly time.

"Yes, I do," I snapped, then stalked off to dress for practice.

"Kates, we have to get going soon!" Oliver called from the other room.

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming!" I hollered back.

"Okay, let's go," I said, twisting around with a loud crack.

"So…are we officially at practice yet…?"Oliver asked hesitantly.

"No," I replied stubbornly.

As usual, practice began with a brief meeting. Nathan, our team manager, as well as coach was letting us in on the details of our next match.

"So as you guys know, we have a game in America next week. The portkey had been scheduled, and I hope you've begun packing because we leave tomorrow at 5:07, so be there by five sharp." At this, Oliver and me both looked at each other like a couple of guilty kids.

"5:07 in the bloody morning?" Maia Scott, my fellow female chaser, swore. She and I are the only females on the team. Might I add that we are in serious need of some estrogen over here?

"Now, this is our last chance to practice in our home stadium. We all know that this is where we make things happen, so I want to see everything you've got here and now! Okay, get going what are you waiting for?" he said clapping his hands to signal the start of practice.

So here's the deal, you have to wonder how come someone as young and motivated as Nathan isn't playing Quidditch themselves. Well he used to, until some idiotic prat sent a stream of curses and spells right at him during a game. Of course the moron received himself a nice life-long ban from Quidditch, but it didn't take back the damage that had already been done.

Nathan's whole entire body, especially the lower half, had been pretty screwed up. Both of his legs had been pretty much demolished which meant that he could never play ever again. Well at least not professionally. On the rare occasion we get him to play a couple of rounds with us on the pitch, but it's hard seeing as he has to fly with two special legs. Yet it's still not enough to keep him down. Nathan's an amazing coach and all and we all love him to death for being so strong.

"Bell! Stop staring at me like I don't have any legs! Hang on, wait…I don't! Ha! Well get a move on it, up in the air, now!" Although sometimes he has a pretty dry sense of humour, and he can be a bit of a hard-ass.

Almost a full eight hours later, Oliver and I were both sprawled on the kitchen floor drenched in rain…and sweat.

"You know, I think I might have broken my butt," I said after a while.

"Join the club, who'd have thought that sitting on a two inch stick for six hours could be uncomfortable," Oliver said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Apparently we were both extremely exhausted, because the next thing I knew, the house was pitch black and I was seriously sore in every spot imaginable. Groaning I forced myself into an upright position.

"Oliver…?" I whispered hoarsely. An incoherent grunt came from somewhere on my left. I stumbled around blindly before reaching the lights. Flicking them on, I could make out a massive pile of scarlet on the floor.

I walked over and nudged him, gently mind you, with my foot.

"Oliver! Hey, wake up."

"Watzimit?" Translation: what time is it? You know you've known someone way too long when you can decipher that.

"Uhhh…" I let out a gasp as I looked over at the clock. It read 4:48. In other words, we had exactly twelve minutes to get our crap packed and haul our butts over to the airport. I let out a long stream of curses that definitely caught Oliver's attention and had him sitting up in a jiffy.

"_Aguamenti!"_ I cried, pointing my wand directly at Oliver. Sputtering, he wiped his eyes and glared at me. Well hey, there was clearly no time to take a proper shower.

Predictably, he did the same to me. So there we stood like a couple of blubbering idiots. After I'd gotten over being soaked, acting like the immature little girl that I was, I shot another stream at him. Soon we were involved in a full fledged water fight.

"Enough enough!" I wailed. "We're gonna be late…again!" Instantly, we mirrored each others actions by both performing drying spells on each other. And then we ran.

Rushing around like a madwoman, I shoved anything clean that I could get my hands on into my trunk. All the while I was summoning specific cosmetic items and other necessities.

I raced back into the kitchen to find Oliver standing there with his luggage, tapping his foot mockingly.

"Slow-poke."

I huffed in exasperation and disapparated with a twist and a crack.

"5:04. You two are late…again." Maia teased.

"I told you we shouldn't have gone for that last quickie!" I said, prodding Oliver's arm. That had everyone's head snapping up. Aaron Jenkins (chaser) was grinning like a five-year-old kid that had just received a box of Droobles.

"Well that explains the hair, Bell!" Jesse Williams, beater and official team jester said, catching on.

I stole a peek at Oliver and ended up meeting his gaze. Sadly, we both cracked up. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Ian Knight (seeker) swiping his money back from Aaron Jenkins. I wonder what that was about…maybe they bet on what time we'd get there…strange.

"Enough of that ladies, everyone's here and accounted for?" Nathan barked.

"Yes sir!" Maia saluted him.

"Wait Coach! I don't think I'm here…" Jesse said bursting into a fit of laughter.

"Zip it Williams, or I'll leave your behind behind!" That shut him up.

"Everyone gather 'round! Keep your gear nice and close. Come on, tighten up. Okay, now I don't want anyone wandering off yet. We have a meeting with the League Committee first thing. Grab hold of the portkey, we'll be leaving soon. And for Merlin's sake, don't fall on me after you let go!"

We all grabbed hold of the Quaffle (rather suits us, don't ya think?), and prepared for take-off. With a flash of light, I was being jostled around in a whirl of wind. Next thing I knew, I was slammed against something very hard.

"Uh, hey Kates. You wanna get off now?"

"Oh geez! Sorry Oliver!" I rolled off and stood up, wiping dirt off of myself.

"Ew! Wright, get the hell off of me!" Maia spazzed, pushing him to the side. I'd like you to meet the final member of our team: Grant Wright, beater and official team "player". Yes, the quotation marks are necessary. Let's just say Wright likes his daily dose of estrogen.

"Better you than me," I heard Nathan mutter with a chuckle. He led the way into a room decorated very appropriately with Quidditch logos, mascots, and such. In the centre ran a set of tables, one side decked out in blue, the other in ____. We took our seats on the side with Puddlemere's colours just as the American team entered.

Once everyone had settled, the coordinator walked in and gave us a lecture on the whole process. It's not as if we've never done this before…sheesh. On top of the unnecessary excessive speech, some Yankee kept glancing at me, winking and smiling.

To calm my nerves, I decided to have my daily cup of coffee from the refreshments table. I could see Oliver monitoring my every move…just in case. Unfaithful, untrusting git.

After the coordinator had finished his spiel, we don't to introduce ourselves and mingle with the opposing team. Of course Oliver's fists were clenching at this idea. Fraternizing with the enemy, how could we?!

As it turns out, the American team was actually pretty decent. They were nice, had a good sense of humor, and Tristan (a.k.a. Mr. Wink and Smile) was nice and easy on the eyes. Once we were all free to do as we pleased, we all went across the street to a local café.

"Can I take your order please?" the waitress asked.

"I'll take an espresso."

"Café mocha over here!"

"Ummm…I'll take a cof-…I mean uh, tea please." I could feel Oliver eyes boring into me. I knew I shouldn't have had that coffee during the meeting! Drat!

"So what's with the tea?" Maia asked sitting down beside me. I explained my whole unfortunate situation, and I could already see the evil glint in her eyes.

"Hey Wood!" she hollered.

"What?"

"Get over here and explain that new play of yours! You're confusing the hell outta me!" She's genius!

He stood to come over, but once he spotted me beside Maia, his eyes narrowed in on me, glaring.

"Maybe later," he replied.

For the next week or so Oliver and I tried very hard to trick each other into breaking our resolutions. Sadly, we both failed miserably.

The night before the match finally arrived. Needless to say I was as nervous as hell. I couldn't sleep, and dear Jesse snoring in the room next to mine was not helping in the slightest.

I checked the time: 2:00 am. Fantastic! It was technically a new day, so one cup of coffee wouldn't hurt…

* * *

I knew that if I were to pour that second cup I'd be a total goner. Unfortunately, when under extreme amounts of pressure and stress, my will-power seems to be completely lacking in a sense.

I could just hear the tiny devil on my shoulder whispering in my ear: "go on Bell, just take it, drink it, relax…" Strange how it seems to be a male voice…with a Scottish accent…? How my mind works amazes even me.

My hand was shaking, if it had a mouth, it would most definitely be screaming at me. Not to mention there was that tiny thought at the back of mind nagging me about the fact that as soon as that second cup touched my lips, I would be forced to do anything that Oliver willed me to…

But I couldn't help myself! It's not like anyone would know. It was the dead of night, morning actually. Besides, I was using the same cup; I could just pretend that it was my first.

"Ah, screw it," I muttered to no one in particular. I grabbed the pot, poured the second cup, and willfully took a giant gulp. Go figure that I would forget that coffee directly from a pot would be ridiculously hot. And as I was nursing my poor numb tongue, Oliver turned the corner almost making me spill the scorching liquid all over myself, almost. Thankfully and sadly, most of it just ended up on the floor.

Oliver's eyes narrowed at me suspiciously. All I could do was put on what I thought was my most innocent face. I found out later that my parents had neglected to tell me that my 'innocent' look was more like a sheepish grin. Thanks a lot Mum and Dad.

Apparently my scheme about reusing the same cup went out the door fairly quickly. I could see Oliver's nose twitching, taking in the scent of a newly freshly brewed pot of coffee. But with one glance at the half-empty pot, there was no way I could continue to feign innocence. So instead of trying to argue my way through Oliver's accusations, I uncharacteristically gave in and admitted defeat. Giving a little humph, I crossed my arms and looked at him expectantly.

"What do you want me to do?" I sighed, raising my eyebrows.

He stood there completely stricken with shock. Regaining control of himself, he remained silent, pondering my question. Finally he lifted his gaze to meet my eyes opened his mouth and said something that sounded oddly like:

"Go out with me."

I blinked repeatedly. Say what now?

My mind suddenly twisted backward as if someone had used a time-turner to recapture the past.

_There was Oliver and I when we first met. Oh and that was when he saved me from the garden gnomes. Awww…that's when he gave me my first kiss on my birthday, mind you I was only four so it hardly counts. Ha, I remember that…I'd fallen off my broom and taken a massive dive toward the ground when Oliver caught me. And there's us hugging after winning the Quidditch Cup. Hmmm…don't really remember that one, stupid necklace incident…_

I snapped back to reality once the slideshow ended. Talk about a mind blow moment. Ever since I'd met Oliver, he's been the best friend I've ever had. And I admit to having a schoolgirl crush on him when I was younger. And now that I thought about it, what reason did I have not to like Oliver? I mean besides his Quidditch obsessed behavior and unnecessary Scottish pride. Oliver was caring, gentle, sweet, dedicated, and certainly passionate (especially about Quidditch). I could go on and on with this list…in short, he was perfect. At least for me he was.

"Okay," I said with a grin.

"Really?" he said with an air of disbelief. I nodded, unable to make out any words.

"Good, because otherwise this would've been extremely awkward."

Confused, I looked at him with a frown.

Before I could process the movement, Oliver was leaning in and in one swift motion captured my lips with his. I immediately relaxed, practically melting in his arms. I could feel the warmth and familiarity spread through my body, and everything just felt…right. Besides, if anything were to take my mind off of the stress and pressure of the match, this had certainly done the trick.

Easing back just far enough to see each others faces, I saw Oliver's nose wrinkle.

"Yuck!" followed quickly after that.

My eyes widened in surprise as I tried hard to remain composed and not break down in embarrassment and shame.

"What's wrong?" I asked worriedly.

"Coffee breath."

I let out an extremely rare girly giggle. I could get used to New Year's resolutions if they all ended up like this!

* * *

_Happy New Year Everyone! Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading! Review and I'll love you forever! :D_

_'til next time,_

_EP_


	2. The Perfect Valentine's Day Gift

_A/N: I know I said that this story was a one-shot, but I had a magical epiphany over the past few weeks. I have officially decided to make this story a series of one-shots, one for each holiday. Consequently, this next one-shot is about Valentine's Day. I really had trouble coming up with a good situation for this chapter, so please forgive me if it's crap. And whether it is or not, please R&R! Thanks for reading and Happy Valentine's Day everyone! 3_

_Disclaimer: I so wish they belonged to me...and in my dreams, they do... ;)_

* * *

The Perfect Valentine's Day Gift

Never in all his days of living did Oliver Wood think that he would be so deliriously happy. For the past month-and-a-half he'd been blessed to have Katie all to himself. Every morning he woke-up with her by his side. Every morning he had to try way too hard to get her out of bed. And every morning he never missed the chance to tease her about her terrible caffeine addiction.

Ultimately, that is exactly how this morning went too. Of course, Oliver didn't mind any part of his morning routine, and yes all in all he was content, but today he was just extremely worried…frustrated…stressed…you get the picture.

Why, you might ask? Well, it was Valentine's Day. It's not that Oliver was scared of Valentine's Day, but in his current situation, he most certainly wasn't at peace. You see, Oliver had forgotten a vital part of Valentine's; he had forgotten to get Katie a present. In most cases, he would have just ran out and bought a bouquet of roses or a box of chocolates, but Katie was special.

So for the past three hours, hovering in front of the hoops, Oliver had been completely distracted by his own thought process. His Quidditch performance had been below his usual standards, and people noticed. People being Katie and his fellow team mates. Seeing Oliver do so poorly had Katie extremely worried herself.

"Maia, tell me you didn't notice how strange Oliver was today," Katie frowned, while she yanked a brush through her wet hair.

"No can do honey, he was definitely off his game."

"Do you think, maybe, something's wrong?" she asked.

"I'm sure he's just feeling the pressure from next week's match. Just go home, relax, and enjoy today. It's not everyday girls like us get to celebrate with a hunk like Wood," Maia said reassuringly with a wink.

She couldn't help but smile. Pushing the worry to the back of her mind, she gave her friend a hug and headed for the door. Leaning against the wall was her man. At least some things were still normal. Taking his waiting hand, she gave him a quick peck.

"Let's go home. I'm pooped," Katie said, drawing her wand to apparate.

"You go on ahead. I have a few things I need to take care of first." Guess she spoke too soon.

"Sure." She forced a smile and twisted on the spot. With a sigh, Oliver mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do…

"SCOTT!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs.

"Merlin's pants! What do you want, Wood?" she said appearing at the doorway. "Where's Katie?" With a pause she added "what did you do?" narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"That's the thing. I didn't do anything! I'm such a bloody prat!"

"Explain," she ordered.

"It sounds terrible, but well, I got so caught up in the moment, and long story short I forgot to buy Katie a Valentine's Day gift…" he trailed off.

"And you're asking me for help? Ha, this is priceless!" she said roaring with laughter.

"Do you mind? It's not funny! Stop laughing! Will you help me or not?" he said, frustrated.

He looked so completely pathetic that there was no way she could have refused.

"Fine. Let's get cracking, there's not much time," she said whipping out her wand. "And not a word of this to anyone!" she threatened before disapparating. Oliver quickly followed, and there they stood in the centre of Diagon Alley.

Couples were passing by, hand in hand, smiling and gushing at each other. With each subsequent glance at Oliver, Maia could see that he was getting paler and paler by the second.

"Any ideas?" Maia asked, hopefully to distract him from their surroundings.

"If I had any I wouldn't have practically begged for your help!" he wailed. Wow, he really did look pathetic.

"Wood! Calm yourself, we'll find something." And with that they set out on a wild goose chase for Katie's perfect Valentine's Day present.

Little did they know that while they were running around Diagon Alley, Katie had given up on waiting for Oliver. With a sigh, she decided to go out and buy those chaser gloves that she had been dying for. Grabbing her change purse, she apparated in front of Quality Quidditch Supplies.

Alone, and wallowing in self-pity, she stepped into the store, looked up, and froze. Actually, she dropped her purse…and then froze.

There was Oliver leaning over the counter, paying for his merchandise. And beside him was Maia, smiling down at the very pair of gloves that Katie had desired.

"Oliver? Maia?" she whispered. Both of their heads snapped up in a second.

"Katie!" They cried in unison, both looking equally as guilty as the other.

"What are you doing here? I told you I'd be home in a little while!" Oliver exclaimed, upset that the surprise of his gift was ruined.

"So what, I could wait at home while you went out and bought my best friend something that I wanted instead?!" she shrieked.

"Katie, it's not like that!" Oliver argued.

"It's not like what? It's not like you ditched me on Valentine's Day for Maia? It's not like you pulled away from me all of this morning? It's not like you left me at home to rot by myself? It's not like you planned this so that I could stand here and be humiliated? Just leave me alone. I was a fool to think this would ever work anyways," she lashed out. Turning around to hide the tears that threatened to come pouring down, she yanked the door opened and rushed out into the cold.

"Katie!" Oliver cried after her. Slamming his fist on the counter, he swore when she did not return.

"Go after her!" Maia practically yelled. Shoving the gloves into his hands, she pushed him out the door.

Oliver raced after Katie in the winter snow. Unfortunately for him, the gushing wind and falling snow was distorting his view. With so many others around him, it was difficult to keep track of her. Trusting his instincts, he kept running forward. Passing an alley, he halted to a stop and back-tracked. There was Katie, crouched against a wall, with her hands covering her face.

"Katie?" he murmured softly.

All she could do was shake her head. Ignoring her action, Oliver sat down in front of her and grabbed hold of her hands.

"Katie, listen to me, please?" he begged.

She looked up at him, tears flowing over her lashes. His heart gave a massive heave. If he got through this, he vowed never to hurt her like this ever again.

"Katie, I wasn't pulling away from you today to hurt you; I was worried because I forgot to buy you a present. I didn't ditch you on Valentine's Day because I'm here, with you, right now. I wasn't buying the gloves for Scott, I was buying them for you," he said, balancing them on her knees. Taking a deep breath, he continued with his explanation.

"I didn't leave you at home to rot; I left you at home to search for your perfect gift. And I certainly did not plan to humiliate you, in fact, I humiliated myself by asking Scott for help! And finally, you are not a fool for thinking that you and I would work out, you are a fool for ever doubting it, and for ever doubting that I love you. Oh, and for thinking that I would rather spend the day with Scott than you," he added, with a hopeful grin.

Katie mouth curved upwards at the last remark. What a fool she had been.

"Forgive me?" Oliver asked.

"No." Oliver dropped her hands in shock. "Forgive me," she said. Relief filled Oliver's features and he drew her up into a hug.

"Here," he said. Reaching into his pocket, he handed her a tiny blue velvet pouch.

Curiously, she drew it opened and pulled out a bracelet.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" he added. Examining it closely, Katie beamed with happiness as she saw that the bracelet contained specially selected charms: a quaffle, a heart…and a mug, go figure.

"Thank you, it's beautiful. But the gloves—"

"Were an afterthought," Oliver supplied. "Now let's go find Scott, and then head home."

"Nope, she'll be fine on her own," Katie said, shaking her head. "For the rest of today, you're mine," she declared possessively. And together, they disappeared with a crack into the winter air.

And just around the corner, stood Maia Scott. Shaking her head, she rolled her eyes and smiled. "What a selfish prat."

* * *

_Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my work. I really appreciate it! Happy Valentine's Day, and please review. Constructive criticism is appreciated, flames not so much._

_'til next time,_

_EP_


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